THEME-1 BRICKS, BEADS AND BONES

THEME-1

BRICKS, BEADS AND BONES

(QUESTION ANSWER)

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ONE MARKS QUESTIONS

Q1.Which of the following name is appropriate, Indus valley civilization or Harappan Culture.

Ans: Harappan Culture.

Q2. Which was the first site of Indus valley civilization where this unique culture was discovered?

Ans: Harappa.

Q3. Where was evidence of ploughed field found in Indus Valley Civilization?

Ans: Kalibangan.

Q4: Terracotta models of the plough have been found at which sites in Indus valley Civilization?

Ans: 1. Cholistan

2. Banawali

Haryana

Q5. From which traces of canals have been found in Indus valley Civilization.

Ans: Shortughai

Q6. Where was water reserve found in Indus valley Civilization .

Ans : Dhaulavira

Q7. Name any two structures which were found in the Citadel?

Ans: 1. The warehouse -

2. The great bath -

Q8. In Mesopotamians texts Dilmun, Meluhha and Magan words are used for which centres?

Ans : Dilmun for Bahrain

Meluhha for Harappa

Magan for Oman.

Q9. The longest signs containing inscription contains how many signs?

Ans : 26 Signs

Q10. Harappa Script was written from which side?

Ans : From Right to left.

Q11: Weights were usually made of which stone in Indus valley Civilization.

Ans: Chert.

Afghanistan

Gujarat

In Harappa

In Mohenjodaro

Q12. Weights were generally made in which form?

Ans: Cubical with No markings.

Q13.What was the type of the lower denomination of weights?

Ans: Binary (1,2,4,8,16, 32 upto 12,800)

Q14: what was the type of the higher denominations of weights?

Ans: Decimal System

Q15: Who was the first Director General of A. S. I. ?

Ans: Cunningham.

Q16: What was the time period of Cunningham’s main interest in history?

Ans: 600 B.C.E. to 400 C. E.

Q17: Who announced the discovery of a new civilization in the Indus valley?

Ans: John Marshall.

Q.18. Who has written “The story of India Archaeology”

Ans. S.N.Roy

Q.19. Who was the first professional archaeologist to work in India?

Ans. John Marshall

Q.20. What was the new technique that was followed by R.E.M. Wheeler?

Ans. To Follow the stratigraphy of the round rather than digging horizontal lines.

Q.21 How did the Harappans obtain red colour of carnelian?

Ans:-Harappans obtained red colour of carnelian by firing the

yellowish raw material and beads at various stages of production.

Q.22 How do we know about the social differences among the Harappans?

Ans:-By study of the structure of burials and things found from these burials. By classifying artifacts into useful and luxurious things.

Q.23 What were the animals of Harappans civilization?

Ans:- Pet animals :- Cattle , Sheep , Goat , Buffalo , Pig - Wild animal: - Boar, Deer, Ghariyal.

Q. 24 List the food items available to the people in Harappan civilization?

Ans:- Products taken from plants; Fish and flesh; wheat, millet, pulses, rice etc.

Q-25.The first discovered Harappa site was?

Ans-.      Harappa

Q-26.One Harappan site in Haryana

Ans-.      Banwali

Q-27.The site where fire altars and ploughed field found

Ans-   Kalibangan

Q-28.A specialised centre for shell making

Ans-      Balakot

Q-29.The most recently discovered site Haryana 

Ans-5.      Rakhi Garhi

Q-30The site where water reservoirs found

Ans-  Dholavira

   Q-31.  One specialized centre for shell making

Ans- Nageshwar

   Q-32.The Important Harappan site from Gujarat

Ans- Lothal

   Q-33.  The site where R.D Banerji conducted excavations

Ans- Mohenjodaro

   Q-34.The major centre of bead making

Ans- Chanhudaro

    Q-35.One Harappan site now in Pakistan.

Ans-.  Kot Diji

S. A (3 Marks)

Que.1. How were the dead bodies disposed of in Harappan    civilization?

Ans: - From the archaeological finds it is believed that –

i. The dead bodies were buried in the ground

ii. The dead body was left in the open for the animals and birds to eat its flesh.Skeleton were buried in the ground

2. Mention two features of the Harappan civilization?

Ans. i) It was an urban civilization.

ii) It was primarily based on trade

iii) The people were peace loving

v) Had well planned cities

3. Give two features of the Harappan writing?

Or

In what way is the Harappan script unique?

Ans 1. It is not alphabetical. Has not yet not been deciphered

2. Probably written from right to left as wide gaps are seen on the right and cramping on the left.

3. Writing found on copper tools, Jars, seals, terracotta, tablets etc.

4. Mention the names of two persons who discovered the Harappan civilization.

                             OR

Who contributed in discovering Harappan civilization?

Ans. i. Dayaram Sahni

II R D Banarjee

iii. Cunningham

IV John Marshall

v. Wheeler

vi. N.G.Mazumdar

5. How do you know about the lives of Harappan people?

Ans. On the basis of finds and remains like

a)Ruins of buildings

b) Pottery

c) Ornaments

d) Tools and seals

6. Name the ornaments found near the burial in Harappa.

Ans: - a) Rings of shells. b) Beads c) Jasper

7. Write important features of great bath of Mohenjo-Daro.

Ans: - a) It was made of finely built burnt bricks.

 b) Great bath reflects credit on the engineering skill.

c) It measures 12m X 7m and is 3m deep

d) The great bath had efficient drainage to flush out dirty water.

8. Mention opinion of archaeologists about the existence of rulers in Harappan Society.

Ans: - a) some archaeologists have opinion that they had no rulers and everybody Enjoyed equal status.

b) Some suggest that there were several rulers.

c) Others argue that there was single state to maintain the uniformity in

Society.

9. Write the salient features of Harappan Agriculture technologies?

OR

What type of evidence found in Harappan sites related to agriculture technology?

Ans: - i. Representation on seals and terracotta sculpture indicate that the bull Was known

ii. Oxen were used for ploughing.

iii. Archaeologists have also found evidence of a ploughed field of kalibangan

iv. The field had two sets of furrows at right angles to each other suggesting That two different crops were grown together.

V. Most Harappan sites are located in semi-arid lands, where irrigation was Probably required for agriculture.

vi. Traces of canals have been found at the Harappan site of shortughai in Afghanistan.

10. Write the salient features of Mohenjo-Daro.

Or

“Mohenjo-Daro was a well planned Urban city” explain it.

Or

Write the salient feature of Harappan civilization.

Ans: - 1. A planned urban Centre: - Mohenjo-Daro was divided in two parts. First One is Height part called citadel and second one is Lower part is called

Lower town.

2. Laying out drains.

3. Roads and streets.

4. Domestic architecture.

5. Great Bath.

 11. What was Cunningham‟s confusion on Harappan period? Explain it.

OR

On which basis Harappan civilization time period was divided by Cunningham.

Or

In real, was Cunningham didn‟t understand the time period of Harappan in his whole life.

Ans: - i. The written word (text and inscriptions) as a guide to investigations. In Fact Cunningham‟s main interest was in the archaeology of the Early Historic (6th century BCE – 4th Century CE) and later period.

ii. He used the accounts left by Chinese Buddhist pilgrims who had visited.The subcontinent between the 4th & 7th centuries CE to locate early Settlement.

iii. A site like Harappa, which was not part of the itinerary of the Chinese Pilgrims and was not known as an early historic city.

iv. Indian history began with the first cities in the Ganges valley. Given his Specific focus, it is not surprising that he missed the significance of

Harappa.

V. A Harappan seal was given to Cunningham by an Englishman. He noted.The subject, but unsuccessfully tried to place it within the time frame With which he was familiar.

12. How Harappan civilization changed from Urban to rural civilization.

Or

How a well planned civilization of Harappa was decline.

Ans: - 1. Due to changes in climate

2. Deforestation.

3. Excessive floods

4. The shifting and/or drying up or rivers

5. Foreign attack.

6. To over use of the landscape.

13. „Was there a singular ruler in Harappan society‟ explain it

Or

Explain the ruling system of Harappan Society.

Ans: - i. Some archeologists are of the opinion that Harappan society had no Rulers, and that everybody enjoyed equal status.

ii. Other feel there was no single ruler lout several, that Mohenjo-Daro had a Separate rulers Harappa another and so forth.

iii. Yet others argue that there was a single state, given the similarity in

Artefacts, the standardized ratio of brick size, and the establishment of

Settlements near sources of raw material.

iv. A stone statue was labelled and continues to be known as the „priest-

King‟. This is because archaeologists were familiar with Mesopotamian

History and its priest-king.

Q14. Our Knowledge about the Indus Valley Civilization is poorer than that of other civilizations, why?

Ans:-Because -We could not read the script of that age till now.

- Dependency on only archaeological sources .i.e. buildings, seal, beads etc.

- For other civilizations literary sources are available unlike Indus Valley

Civilization.

Q.15 List the raw material required for craft production in Indus Valley Civilization and how these might have been obtained?

Ans:- - Stone -like carnelian, jasper, crystal, quartz, and steatite.

- Metal - like- copper, bronze, gold.

- Shell , faience and terracotta

Method of procuring material for craft production-

(A)They established settlement near the source of material -eg Nageshwar,

Balakot

(B)They might have sent expeditions to areas such as the Khetri region of

Rajasthan (for copper) and south India (for gold)

Q.16 What was the confusion in the mind of Cunningham while studying Harappan Civilization?

Ans:-

- He used the accounts left by Chinese Buddhist pilgrims who had visited India between the fourth and seventh century.

- He thought that Indian history began with the first cities in the Ganga Valley.

Q.18 What were the differences in techniques adopted by Marshall and wheeler in studying Indus Valley Civilization.

Ans:-

- Marshall tended to excavate along regular horizontal units, measured uniformly throughout the mound ignoring the stratigraphy of the site. Due to this technique valuable information about the context of these finds was

irretrievably lost.

- Wheelers recognized that it was necessary to follow the stratigraphy of the

mound rather than digging mechanically along uniform horizontal lines.

Q.19. What were the features of settlements of pre- Harappa period?

Ans:-

- They had no large buildings.

- There was a prevalence of agriculture and cattle rearing.

Some people were also engaged in sculpture.

- There was no well-planned network of roads and drainage system.

Q.20. How you can say that the people of Mohenjodaro were concerned about their privacy?

Ans:-

- On the basis of residential buildings & special structures.

- The main entrance of the houses was made in such a way that it did not give adirect view of the interior or the courtyard.

- There were no windows in the walls along the ground level.

Q.21. Mention any four items found in the graves of the Harappans?

Ans:-Jewellary of both men and women ornaments consisting of three shell

rings, a jasper (Semi precious Stones) Beads and copper mirror.

Q.22. How you can say that there was a break between the early Harappan and the late Harappan Civilization?

Ans:- - There is evidence of large scale burning at some places or sites.

- The abandonment of certain settlements.

- Some drastic change we can see in town planning, drainage system and otherpatterns.

Q.23. Why is Harappan script considered an enigmatic script or mysterious script?

OR

What are the main characteristics of Harappan Script?

Ans:-

- Because it is yet to be deciphered. Its mystery has still not been solved yet.

- It was not alphabetical. It had too many signs; all the signs symbolized certain things.

- The sign of this script were of the period 375 to 400.

- The script has been found on a variety of objects.

Q.24. Write a note on the agriculture technology of Harappans?

An2:-

- The prevalence of agriculture is indicated by finds of grains in various sites of civilization. Archaeologists have found evidence of a ploughed field at seals and terracotta sculpture indicates that the bull was known and oxen were used for ploughing.

- Two different crops were grown together.

- Canals and wells were constructed for irrigation. Traces of canals have been found in all the Harappan sites of Shortughai in Afghanistan; Water reservoirs have been found in Dhaulavira.

Q.25. How can you say that the Harappan culture was an urban one?

Ans

- The cities were well planned into upper and lower town.

- The roads were straight and wide.

- The houses were made of burnt bricks and contained more than one

storey. Every house had a well and bathroom.

- The Drainage system was excellent with house drains emptying into street

drains.

- Existence of public buildings.

- Lothal had a dockyard and was an important trading Centre.

Q.26. Write a note on the drainage system of Harappa?

Ans:-

- The drainage was made of mortar lime and gypsum.

- They were covered with big bricks and stones which could be lifted easily

to clean the drain .

- Smaller drains from houses on both the sides were laid on the main

channel.

- Pits were provided for sewage for the houses.

Q.27. Discuss the functions that may have been performed by rulers in Harppan civilization?

Ans:-

- Some archaeologists say that Harappan society had no rulers and that

everybody enjoyed equal status.

- Others feel there were no single ruler but several.

- Under the guidance and supervision of the rulers, plans and layout of the

city were prepared.

- Big buildings, palaces, forts, tanks, wells, canals, granaries etc were

constructed under the supervision of rulers.

- Roads, drains were also constructed and cleanliness was maintained

under the overall supervision of ruler.

- The ruler might have taken interest in promoting the farmer to increase

production and the craftsmen to promote different handicrafts

- He maintained and controlled extra ordinary uniformity of Harappa's

artefacts like - Seals, Weight and bricks.

- During foreign attack and natural disaster he used to play an active role by

providing security and food,

- He used to issue common acceptable coins or seals, weight and

measurements.

Q 28- Write a short note on the seals of Indus valley people.

Ans:-

- More than 2000 seals have been found at the various sites.

- They are made up of various materials such as steatite, faience, ivory, pottery etc.

- They are very informative regarding dress, ornaments, hair styles etc.

- By the seals we know about the religions, commercial activities, etc.

Q 29. What do you know about trade and commerce of Indus valley civilization?

Ans:-Internal Trade: - was advanced Mohenjo-Daro, Harappa were main trade Centre. Heavy and small weight has been found at these sites. These are made up in the multiple of two as 1:2:4:8:16 upto 12,800.

-There was strict control on weight and measure.

-International trade - They had trade relation with other countries such as Egypt, Oman.

-The trade was carried both by sea and land

-Probably the metals like gold, silver, Tin and copper and precious stones were imported from the other countries,

Q 30- How did Harappan civilization come to an end?

Ans:-

- Some schools have tried to explain the important causes which led to

the abandonment of the mature Harappan sites by 1800 B.C. E.

Some of them are as follows:-

- By Floods - It is speculated that a sudden flood might have

submerged the various town and buried them under the thick layer of

mud.

- Due to the change in the course of Indus River.

- Climatic change - It is also possible that there was climate change

and drought took place due to deforestation.

- Earthquakes - It is also probable that the nature itself turned the whole

land upside down.

- Aryan Invasion - Some scholars say that Aryans were responsible.

Value Based Questions

Q 31:- What value do you attach to the work of Sir John Marshall in leaving India three thousand years older than he had found her?

Ans: - He was the director general of Archaeological Survey of India

- By his effort it was proved that there existed a great civilization in India

which was contemporary of Mesopotamia.

- For this great - work we attach the value of thank fullness, indebtedness

LONG ANSWER (8 MARKS)

Q.1: How do archaeologists reconstruct the past?

Ans:- - Recovering artefacts through excavation.

- Classification of finds that finds are whether tools or weapons or

ornaments or both or something meant for ritual use.

- An understanding of the function of an artifact is often shaped by it

resemblance with present day things. Beads, pots are obvious examples.

- Archaeologists reconstruct religious beliefs and practices by examining

seals, some of which seem to depict ritual scenes

- Archaeologists often move from known to unknown that is from present to

past regarding the reconstruction of religious practices.

- Remains of crops or pits are studied to identify food.

- By observing the different layers of sites they try to find out different things for the information of Socio-economic conditions, religious and cultural life of past people.

- Archaeologists also try to identify the function of an artefact by

investigating the context in which it was found.

- Use of indirect evidence eg. for clothing they depend on indirect evidence

like description in sculpture

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